Introducing Affordable Housing Campaign

By Devin Ross · June 17, 2016

17

June 2016

AFFORDABLE HOUSING CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL

POLITICAL CONTEXT: Orange County’s knowledge economy (anchored by UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Health Systems) has created clear economic winners and losers. 759 full time University employees and 1,503 full and part time Hospital employees earn less than amt. needed to afford 1 bedroom in Chapel Hill. Housing affordable to extremely low income residents has been reduced by roughly half, and 30% of all OC tenants pay 50% or more of their total household income on rent.

PROPOSAL: Tackle affordable housing shortage by helping to develop or improve 1,000 units of affordable housing across Orange County, starting with St. Paul Village.

Faith institutions organize the latent power of our institutions through Justice United and bring our own land and funds to the table.

Invite University and Hospital to follow our lead and anchor the development of new affordable housing on faith, non-profit, and publicly owned land:

1) the St. Paul Village project owned and led by St. Paul AME Church; 2) other land owned by local faith institutions or by members of those institutions; 3) publicly owned land (local municipalities, county, state gov.) in Orange County (like the 103 acres that comprise the Greene Tract in North Chapel Hill or the many smaller county parcels in Northern Orange); 4) land owned by non-profit affordable housing providers; 5) University and Hospital owned land.

Organize constituency of low income residents and low wage workers to improve substandard housing stock and win more resources and protections for tenants and homeless people.

JU leaders will unveil our affordable housing vision on during the 300 person September 15 public assembly, and will turn out 600 people at a winter action to win more substantial commitments from decision makers.